CIE45 Proceedings, 28-30 October 2015, Metz / France A FUNCTION ANALYSIS APPROACH TO REDUCE COMPLEXITY IN PRODUCT DESIGN R. Babaeizadeh Malmiry 1* , J.Y. Dantan 2 , J. Pailhès 3 , J.F. Antoine 4 1,2,4 LCFC, Arts et Metiers ParisTech, HESAM, ENIM, 4 rue A. FRESNEL, 57078 Metz, France 1 roozbeh.babaeizadeh-malmiry@ensam.eu 2 jean-yves.dantan@ensam.eu 4 jean-francois.antoine@univ-lorraine.fr 3 I2M-IMC-UMR 5295- Arts et métiers, F-33400 Talence, France 3 j.pailhes@i2m.u-bordeaux1.fr ABSTRACT During product design process, designers often deal with complexity which is caused by variety and number of elements in the process as well as the dependencies among them. This paper proposes the modelling language of Characteristics-Properties Modelling (CPM) as a framework to model the product and later to analyze it. CPM is a design approach based on the behavior of the system. It enables the designer to dimension the product in each step of design process. Moreover, by using CPM, one can analyze the output of the system according to these dimensions. In addition, the model of ‘Converter-Transmitter-Operator-Control’ (CTOC), which is a systematic modelling tool, is used to help the designer in the process of design. It decomposes the system based on the functioning of the product. The proposition of this paper is the interoperability of CTOC and CPM to reduce complexity in design process. The paper proposes an approach for the coherence of CTOC with CPM. The result is a quantitative multi-physical approach to model and analyze the product. By means of this interoperability, the designer will be able to improve the product performance by means of the modifications such as dimensions, tolerances and/or material. Thus, by decoupling the element of design using the proposed approach, the designer is able to reduce complexity in design process. Keywords: Product modelling, Product analysis, Complexity, Function analysis, CPM * Corresponding Author